Global Beast Mastery: Only I Can See the Hints

While the Stellar Empire was busily preparing a devastating blow against the Serpent Empire, the Serpent Empire was likewise making its own counter-preparations.

Under Charles’ command, the Serpent soldiers placed numerous ordinary gems along the walls of Withered Tree Fortress.

These ordinary gems were arranged into a peculiar pattern, leaving all the Serpent soldiers confused about the purpose behind this strange arrangement.

However, none voiced opposition, as the decision had come directly from the highest levels of the Serpent Empire.

Deep within Withered Tree Fortress, Charles was directing his mystical beasts to excavate one tunnel after another.

Zara and High Priest Kent stood close by, both of them feeling somewhat puzzled.

“Charles, what exactly are you doing?” Zara asked hesitantly. “Didn’t you say that you’d use the power of the Gem of Light to counter the Stellar Empire’s impending attack?”

“Yes, exactly! Isn’t that what I’m doing right now?” Charles replied with a faint smile.

His response made Zara and High Priest Kent even more perplexed.

High Priest Kent spoke slowly, “These tunnels you’re digging—are they meant to help channel the power of the Gem of Light?”

“Precisely!”

Having just finished another tunnel, Charles responded immediately.

He glanced around to confirm the next location where he needed to dig.

Then, he promptly directed his mystical beasts to start digging once more.

While supervising the excavation, Charles felt it necessary to fully explain his plan to those around him.

“I know you’re still somewhat uneasy, so let me outline my plan clearly for you.”

As Charles spoke, he pulled out a detailed map of Withered Tree Fortress.

Pointing directly at the deepest area of the fortress, he explained, “This is the location of the Gem of Light. Obviously, we can’t move the Gem of Light anywhere else. Therefore, our best option is to dig a network of tunnels so that the Gem’s power can swiftly travel to the outer walls of Withered Tree Fortress.”

As he spoke, he traced the paths of the tunnels on the map with his finger.

“Then what?” High Priest Kent still seemed concerned. “Even though the Gem of Light is powerful, it’s surely not strong enough to directly dismantle the Stellar Empire’s attack, is it?”

To Kent, Charles’ current preparations appeared to be somewhat whimsical and insufficiently serious.

Charles understood Kent’s implication clearly and replied with confidence.

“The Gem of Light’s power alone certainly won’t be enough. To successfully thwart the Stellar Empire’s attack, we also need someone who can utilize the Gem of Light’s power flawlessly. That someone, naturally, is me! As soon as the battle begins, I’ll immediately head to the walls of Withered Tree Fortress. From there, my mystical beasts and I will harness the Gem of Light’s incredible strength!”

Charles spoke with unwavering self-assurance.

“What exactly do you plan to do, then? Could you reveal a bit in advance, so I can better coordinate with your actions?” High Priest Kent continued to press him.

Even though Kent trusted Charles, his cautious nature compelled him to consider all possible contingencies before the battle started.

His continuous questioning made Charles slightly displeased. From Charles’ point of view, Kent’s repeated inquiries indicated a lack of trust in him.

Zara noticed Charles’ subtle change in mood.

She quickly interjected, “I don’t think there’s any need for us to ask for so many details. Charles is definitely capable of handling everything perfectly.”

Upon hearing Zara’s supportive words, Charles’ expression finally relaxed somewhat.

Nevertheless, he still decided to answer High Priest Kent’s question.

“I’m naturally very pleased that you trust me. However, I feel it’s still necessary to address High Priest Kent’s concerns.”

After saying this, Charles directly summoned Rainbow.

“This mystical beast is actually a divine dragon! A divine dragon can perfectly harness the power of the light attribute. Before the battle begins, I’ll use this divine dragon to hypnotize the majority of the weaker Stellar Empire soldiers. These Stellar Empire soldiers will then defect and join our side! Once that happens, the battle situation will become highly favorable for us. Then we’ll only have to deal with the Stellar Empire’s stronger individuals who cannot be hypnotized.”

When Charles first saw the Gem of Light, he immediately realized the powerful connection it had with Rainbow.

Charles’ detailed explanation finally put High Priest Kent completely at ease.

“Excellent! Once the battle begins, I’ll definitely fight alongside you!” High Priest Kent exclaimed excitedly.

In truth, it had been a long time since he last fought personally. If not for the dire state of the Serpent Empire, he would never have considered appearing on the battlefield himself.

“If there’s nothing else you want to ask, you should return to your duties,”Charles spoke calmly.

He felt these people would only hold him back by staying here.

The task of excavating the remaining tunnels could easily be handled by a few mystical beasts. He wouldn’t linger here for long anyway; soon, he planned to head directly to the secret chamber housing the Gem of Light.

Hearing this, Zara and High Priest Kent immediately understood what they needed to do.

The two swiftly excused themselves.

After they left, Charles entered the chamber containing the Gem of Light.

He placed both hands directly onto the Gem of Light.

The moment his palms touched its surface, a warm current flowed directly into his body.

He could feel the power of the light attribute slowly strengthening him.

Indeed, the power of light could enhance his abilities, though the rate of enhancement was extremely slow.

Besides, becoming stronger wasn’t his main goal for being here.

Charles concentrated deeply, eyes tightly shut, and gradually locked onto the Gem of Light with his mental focus.

Using the Gem of Light’s power, he then expanded his own mental strength outward.

The Gem of Light naturally possessed immense spiritual properties, combined with its own formidable power of light.

Amplified by these two advantages, Charles’ mental reach swiftly expanded, covering nearly half of the Atacama Desert.

He began sensing everything throughout the desert.

Soon, he pinpointed Andrew’s exact location.

At that moment, Andrew was on his way toward territory controlled by the Stellar Empire.

“I knew you could never be trusted! Thankfully, I made preparations ahead of time. Even if you side with the Stellar Empire, you won’t pose any threat to me!” Charles muttered quietly to himself.

Andrew’s actions were undoubtedly hostile, but they currently posed no real threat to Charles.

Moreover, since Charles was able to monitor Andrew’s every move most of the time, Andrew might even inadvertently become helpful to him later.

Charles quickly shifted his attention away from Andrew.

As his mental power continued expanding, he soon sensed the presence of a considerable number of Ancient Academy members scattered throughout the Atacama Desert.

These Ancient Academy members had originally intended to use the Atacama Desert as a training ground.

After receiving intelligence from Andrew, they accelerated their actions.

Consequently, Charles was now facing a somewhat precarious situation.

Not only did he have to assist the Serpent Empire in fending off the Stellar Empire’s assault, but he also had to stay alert against potential threats from the Ancient Academy members themselves.

“These people are truly relentless! Is there a possibility they might ally themselves with the Stellar Empire? I have to prepare for that eventuality!”

Charles quickly steeled himself against this new potential threat.

Since Andrew had already decided to side with the Stellar Empire, there was naturally a significant chance that other members of the Ancient Academy would make the same choice.

If the Ancient Academy fully joined forces with the Stellar Empire, then Charles and the Serpent Empire would find themselves in deep trouble.

He had no choice but to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Fortunately, for the time being, most members of the Ancient Academy appeared unwilling to directly intervene in the conflict between the two empires.

Having thoroughly surveyed the surrounding area using the Gem of Light, Charles quickly withdrew his hands.

At this moment, his entire body was glowing red, and his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

Although he could skillfully harness the Gem of Light’s power to observe his surroundings, doing so also came with a cost.

The power of the light attribute generated intense heat, enough to overwhelm anyone.

This was especially true of the Gem of Light’s radiant energy.

Had Charles not possessed significant strength, the Gem’s power would have reduced him to ashes immediately.

“It seems I’ll have to use the Gem of Light daily to survey the surroundings. The current situation really is far too complicated,” Charles sighed softly.

He had no intention of revealing this ingenious application of the Gem of Light to anyone else.

In his mind, this secret was something he should keep exclusively to himself.

Upon leaving the room where the Gem of Light was kept, Charles immediately encountered General Sost in the dimly lit corridor.

Previously, General Sost had been busy directing the Serpent soldiers to make preparations for the coming war.

He had now come to discuss with Charles whether there were any further preparations that needed to be made.

“Have you finished setting up the outer walls of Withered Tree Fortress?” Charles asked, smiling upon seeing General Sost.

General Sost nodded in response.

He noticed that Charles had emerged from the Gem of Light’s chamber but decided not to ask any questions about it.

“The defenses on the outer walls have already been completed,” General Sost answered calmly. “I came here specifically to inform you and to ask if there’s anything else we need to prepare.”

Charles smiled and shook his head.

“From now on, the most important thing you need to do is maintain your peak condition, ready to repel the Stellar Empire’s attack at any moment.”