Birth of the Demonic Sword

The Elbas family knew about the Elemental Forging method, but it ignored its specifics. With Ivor dead, Noah was the only one in the entire world able to pass down those teachings.

However, the Royals didn't ask for the inscription method, which showed their confidence in being able to imitate it even if they lacked crucial pieces of information.

Noah didn't care if the Elbas family managed to reproduce the Elemental Forging method. The Royals could try and fail for as long as they wished since there wasn't a way around the issue created by the individualities.

Even if they succeeded in imitating Noah's fusion, they wouldn't be able to apply it to their current heroic assets.

June continued to ask questions as the two of them laid on one of the couches inside the tent.

The Royals didn't come up with only one idea in that period. As the most advanced organization in the fields that concerned the cultivation journey, the Elbas family had many methods at its disposal and could explore various approaches.

June asked Noah about processes that involved alchemy, runes, formations, inscriptions of various kinds, and even techniques that required specific spells. The number of experts among the Royals and their variety left Noah speechless, mainly since they covered even the ideas already discussed with the envoys of the other nations.

Noah couldn't give complete answers most of the time because he didn't understand even the basics of the inscription methods or procedures involved. However, there were unavoidable issues that he could point out.

If a method were too non-invasive, then it would create weaker versions of the hybrids. If the procedures led to the modification of the cultivator's species, then the mental instabilities would appear. As for all the methods between those extremes, they shared the problems with both approaches.

"You solved all of that by yourself," June said when her list of questions was over.

She traced the scales on Noah's chest with her fingers, but her gaze seemed to be elsewhere. She had always known that Noah was incredible, but she hadn't been able to understand the value of his achievements until then.

June imagined Noah alone in caves, performing countless tests on himself and magical beasts just to tune the procedure that would allow him to become stronger than his peers. She could even guess the kind of expression that he had when he decided that his human status wasn't worth much if abandoning it would bring him more power.

She still remembered his previous eyes when he still had human pupils. She remembered how his cold and detached gaze observed the world as if waiting for potential threats to appear from every corner.

"There are times when I still can't believe that you can look at me in this way," June said as she tilted her face to align her eyes with Noah's.

Noah was barely able to move his gaze away from her when they were in those intimate moments. Even his aura radiated the desire that he felt toward the lover lain on top of him.

He understood June's mood. Once that meeting ended, they would be forced to live apart for who knew how many years. It was time to say goodbye, but both of them found it hard to do after living together for such a long period.

For certain aspects, the sudden separation after the mission had been ideal. Yet, it was hard to let go of each other now that no one was pressing them.

"Hey." Noah broke the silence that had fallen inside the tent. "Do you have a secluded training area? Somewhere that only you have access to?"

"Yes, but I will probably get a new one after we go back to our world." June said, "Why do you ask?"

"I might be able to meet you if I know its exact location." Noah said, "It's a bit risky though, so you need to make sure that no one is spying on you."

June's eyes lit up at his words. She had long guessed that the Hive had a method to sneak up troops in an enemy country, and the thought that Noah could use it to meet her had crossed her mind.

However, the mission in the new world and the secret meetings planned with Danielle's help had given them too much to worry about. They didn't schedule their life after their return and focused only on enjoying those years together.

Yet, as their separation drew near, she understood that there was a chance to avoid spending decades alone and that Noah wasn't afraid to take it.

June kissed Noah as her excitement rose, and she couldn't help but mock him a bit to see his reaction. "Is this an official proposal? Do you need to see my parents and ask for my hand?"

"Hmph." Noah snorted as he sat while keeping June on his lap, "And here I thought that your hand had been mine for quite a while."

June lowered her voice at that point and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Of course, just like yours is mine since you kidnapped me."

Then, they simply remained in that position, stealing a few intense kisses even though they knew that they had to end the meeting before the other forces started to suspect something.

June left a few minutes after she and Noah settled the matter concerning her habitation. They decided that they would rely on Faith to exchange messages since she had proven herself to be trustworthy in the past years.

That meeting had still lasted far longer than the others, but June didn't even need to justify herself to the Royals when they saw that she had managed to obtain all the answers that she could.

Of course, Noah had only pointed out apparent flaws in the methods that he recognized, but his judgment had a lot of value since he was the only real expert in that field.

The Elders of the Hive then entered his tent and listed the resources obtained with Noah's performance.

The Council had mostly paid in territories, promising a large part of its share of the new world and even offering its help in protecting it. It added a few inscription methods created in the last years too since the Hive seemed interested in them.

The Empire didn't promise territories but offered a large number of techniques and spells without withholding those of the darkness element.

As for the Royals, they had given the Elders a choice. The Hive had to decide between resources that could benefit the Hive as a whole and a research that seemed to suit the cultivators of the darkness element.

"The Hive has already chosen to prioritize itself once. Now it's time to nourish its greatest talent." Elder Julia said as she handed Noah a few books.

'Creation of higher forms of energy.' Noah read the title of the first book, and his interest skyrocketed.