Chapter 297: Featherwind Sect's elder birds
"How are your injuries right now?" Argo asked.
"Let me show you," he sighed.
Ludin squinted and then strained himself to channel his Magic Energy to the surface. A very thin layer of World Energy began to condense around him like a fog. It was the sign of High Condensed Drop Core Level! But as Argo and Terus quickly noticed, he was slowly slipping into Medium Condensed Drop. His aura rose and fell, like the coming and going of the ocean waves. It was volatile! Not to mention, his nose started bleeding and his eyes were bloodshot. It was obvious his body did not like what he was doing. The backlash from the Featherwind Sect's battle and the Alzar fleet's ambush must have compounded together to create a much more severe backlash! Ludin would ultimately end up in Medium Condensed Drop!
"As you can see…" the bird smiled wryly.
"This is severe," Terus said grimly. "It will take a long time for you to fully recover. As for breaking into Half-Rank 3…"
"You don't have to say it," Ludin raised his wing. "I know my body's condition better than anyone else."
At this point, Ludin understood it was almost impossible for him to attempt Rank 3 King again. His backlashes were too grave, and the lingering effects were not something he could ignore either. Assuming he could recover from that though, the time lost in regaining ground would be heavy. He was unlike the acting Sect Master, Argo. Argo was previously standing at the peak of Half-Rank 3 King, meaning he was infinitesimally close to breaking through. While his backlashes brought him back to Grand Rank 2 Lord, in absolute terms, it was not that large of a decrease. It was 'one minor Rank'. With Argo's experience and time, it was only a matter of time before he bridged that gap again. On the other hand, Ludin had to scale Condensed Drop almost from the beginning, then Half-Blue Depth, before charging for Blue Depth… It was a deeply humbling, but somber realization, and his mood plummeted.
"Don't worry too much about the future," Argo said. "If we can find a Half-Monarch Grade medicine for you…"
"Half-Monarch Grade? You don't have to comfort me. You should know the price of one on the market better than I do. Those aren't things that we can afford."
Argo smiled but said nothing in return. He then continued, "Crus's condition is also dire. She should recover, but I doubt she'll be happy about it when she wakes up."
"That battle-maniac would fly into a rage for sure," Ludin snickered. "By the way, where is Unvo?"
"You should know him. He's focused on searching for treasures," Terus replied. "So far, he found three Lesser Noble Grade treasures."
Elder Unvo was the fifth of the surviving birds from the Featherwind Sect. As a magpie bird, he was the sect's specialist in treasure hunting. His greatest accomplishment was discovering a Half-Monarch Grade treasure! One had to know that in the greater world of Sor, Rank 3 Kings were rare, but Monarch Grade treasures were many times rarer. Rank 3 civilizations would war over a Monarch treasure, and there would be no lack of civilizations that would fight for a Half-Monarch Grade one either. And yet, Unvo successfully snuck the treasure back to the sect without anyone knowing, which spoke loudly for his ability! When they came to the Xingyuu Empire, he immediately went to work.
"It would be great if we could count on him, but he isn't suited for either training or fighting. It's best to leave him to do what he's best at," Argo said. "And who knows? Maybe he could find another Half-Monarch Grade treasure for us."
Ludin nodded and felt a tiny hint of hope budding inside him. Maybe there was a chance after all?
"Let's talk about the Alzar Kingdom now… You think they have a Rank 3 King, right?" Argo's brow furrowed.
"Yes. The aura that her artifact emitted was identical to our Sect Master's," Ludin said. "I fear it might even be stronger!"
"If it's stronger than our Sect Master, then… Princess Elizabeth's master is a Mid Rank 3 King?" Terus almost cursed. A Mid Rank 3 King was no joke! So many Early Rank 3 Kings followed the Luminous Central Origin's orders precisely because of how strong their ruler was. He was a genuine Mid Rank 3 King monster!
"It's too early to come to that conclusion," Argo refuted. "Even amongst Early Rank 3 Kings, there are differences. Look at the three commanders from the Luminous Central Origin that attacked our sect. Commander Infernal Witch King was much stronger than either Commander Chaotic Hex King or Commander Ice Rupture King, but they're all still considered Early Rank 3 Kings. The difference between minor ranks at that point becomes massive!"
"You're right… I was getting ahead of myself," Terus said.
"Either way, Ludin, you and Crus were right to negotiate with Princess Elizabeth," Argo continued. "We can't afford to anger another Rank 3 King. The Luminous Central Origin is one thing, but we don't need more enemies."
"If what he says is true, then it's highly likely that there's a Rank 3 King in the empire too," Terus added. "Otherwise, there's no way that their wars could last for so long. We're lucky that we didn't try anything yet!"
Argo nodded. "It's likely that they'd only come out for a fellow Rank 3 King. They wouldn't be willing to meet with Rank 2 Lords like us."
"What should our next course of action be then? We can't risk angering the Alzar Kingdom, nor can we violate the contract with the Xingyuu Empire," Ludin grew anxious.
"A Battle of Kings…" Terus added. "The Imperial Council probably allied with us because they believe we have a Rank 3 King of our own. They're hoping that our Rank 3 King, when teamed up with theirs, would allow them to defeat the Alzar Kingdom, but our Sect Master… is missing…"
Argo groaned. He regretted getting involved in humanity's affairs. It did give them a safe haven to recuperate, but it came at a cost. Being tied down to the Nine Regrets Reincarnation vow with several Rank 3 Kings staring them down did not make him happy. Although, to be frank, the alternatives were not much better. Assuming they broke the vow and fled the human world with their flying ship, the wilderness was equally as dangerous! That was where Rank 2 Beast Lords and Rank 3 Beast Kings lurked! And it had to be known that Beast Lords and Kings were, on average, stronger than a normal Lord and King. That was because they possessed the frightening power of Lords and Kings combined with their innate animalistic instincts that granted them unparalleled destructive might. That was why having Rank 3 King strength was the minimum requirement to traverse the wilderness. Otherwise, it was asking for death!
"And there's the Luminous Central Origin's pursuit to worry about too," he mumbled to himself.
To this date, they still failed to understand why the Luminous Central Origin attacked the Featherwind Sect. They might be a Rank 3 civilization, but the only Monarch Grade treasure they had was the Featherwind Pearl, and it was a Lesser Monarch Grade treasure at that. A Lesser Monarch Grade treasure was the weakest kind of Monarch Grade. For the Luminous Central Origin, which had a Mid Rank 3 King ruler and ten Early Rank 3 Kings commanders, mobilizing such a strong force for their Featherwind Pearl seemed preposterous! And it was not like they harbored an earthshattering secret nor a blood grudge. There was no feud between the two civilizations! But remembering Commander Infernal Witch King's relentless pursuit made him realize one thing. The Luminous Central Origin would not give up! They would continue to chase them down until they were dead!
"How are the repairs on the Windsurfer?" Argo asked about their flying ship. "We need to have it ready, in case things take a turn for the worse."
"As you know already, it's a Superior Noble Grade ship… I tried doing what I could, but the damage it sustained is too great. Unless we can obtain better materials or find a skilled craftsman, we can't do anything about it."
Argo sighed. When was there going to be good news for once? "For now, we should abstain from any further conflict with humanity. Due to our contract with the Imperial Council, we're obligated to contribute but it doesn't say what our contribution must be. We need to avoid angering both the Xingyuu Empire and the Alzar Kingdom, while also hiding the fact that our Sect Master is missing. Furthermore, the Luminous Central Origin should be chasing us down as we speak. We need to take this precious chance to recover our strength as much as possible before deciding on our next move!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
DivineFifteen
DivineFifteen It should be easy enough to figure out but
Mortal Grade treasures <> Rank 1 Mortals
Noble Grade treasures <> Rank 2 Lords
Monarch Grade treasures <> Rank 3 Kings
Lesser -> Intermediate -> Greater -> Superior -> Half-Step.
Hopefully that clarifies any terminology problems. :)
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