Chapter 124: What Comes Next II

Chapter 124: Chapter 124: What Comes Next II

Cornelius gave a small nod.

"That is why the loot from this battle is important."

The room became a little more relaxed.

The Winterbourne family had gained an enormous amount from the battle.

Every elemental user who had participated had been recovering the spoils from the beasts they killed.

Even the beasts Damon had fought while he was separated from the others had been searched and collected afterward.

There were elemental cores, treasures, materials and other resources.

The amount was far beyond what the family normally obtained in several years.

Cornelius had already decided how it would be divided.

Every elemental user who participated in the battle would receive a share.

Their immediate households would also receive support.

It wasn’t simply a reward.

The goal was to turn the resources into strength.

Some would use the treasures directly.

Others could trade them for what they needed to cultivate or improve their spirits.

Damon wasn’t left out either.

In fact, his share was considerably larger.

He had killed more beasts than anyone else during the battle.

Damon wasn’t surprised by that.

What caught his attention was what Cornelius said next.

"For your share, we’ve also arranged for the family merchants to help you obtain Lightning and Wind treasures."

Damon raised an eyebrow.

"You don’t have to do that."

Cornelius shook his head.

"We do."

Damon didn’t argue.

If they were offering, he wasn’t stupid enough to refuse.

"Then I won’t complain."

A few elders smiled.

Caelia glanced at him.

"You didn’t even hesitate."

"Why would I?"

Damon looked at her.

"They’re offering me treasures for my spirits. Should I politely refuse?"

Caelia laughed.

"I suppose not."

She had her own share as well.

Damon noticed the way she was already thinking about it.

She wasn’t looking at the wealth as something to simply enjoy as she was already considering what she could turn it into.

The same was true for the elders.

Everyone understood that the resources only mattered if they could turn them into greater strength.

But there was still the bigger problem.

The Frostveil Expanse.

Damon leaned forward slightly.

"There’s something I’ve been thinking about."

The room became quiet again.

Cornelius looked at him.

"Go on."

Damon glanced around the room.

"From what I’ve seen, the passages aren’t just connected to the Distorted Zones. The Aether and elemental essence around them seems to be affecting the zones themselves."

Several elders exchanged looks.

Damon continued.

"When I was near the passage, I could feel the instability coming from somewhere else. If the zones are leaking unstable Aether into each other, then one zone doesn’t need to become unstable on its own."

He paused.

"It can be caused by another zone."

One of the elders frowned.

"So even if we stabilize the Frostveil Expanse..."

"Another Distorted Zone could destabilize it again."

Damon nodded.

"Exactly."

The room became silent.

The idea wasn’t complicated.

That was what made it frightening.

If Damon was right, stopping one mutation wouldn’t solve the problem.

They could stabilize Frostveil today, only for another Distorted Zone to begin leaking unstable Aether into it tomorrow.

Then the cycle would start again.

Caelia slowly nodded.

"I think he’s right."

Several elders looked at her.

Caelia continued.

"The changes we’ve seen aren’t isolated anymore. If the zones are affecting each other, then trying to solve each one separately won’t be enough."

Murmurs spread through the room.

The elders understood what that meant.

If the instability continued spreading between Distorted Zones, then the problem would become much harder to contain.

One elder spoke quietly.

"Then how are we supposed to stop it?"

Damon didn’t have an answer yet.

He shook his head.

"That’s what we need to find out."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"The first step is figuring out how to stabilize the Aether and elemental essence."

That was his new objective.

His time with the Winterbourne family had already taught him more about the world than he had learned since awakening.

And this was exactly the kind of information he had needed when he agreed to explore with Caelia.

He wasn’t simply looking for stronger beasts or treasures anymore.

He wanted to understand what was happening.

Cornelius allowed the discussion to settle before speaking.

"Then we investigate."

The elders looked toward him.

"But we don’t sit around waiting for answers either."

His voice became firmer.

"We have to strengthen ourselves."

Cornelius looked around the room.

"And that includes everyone."

Damon listened carefully.

"We have gained a large amount of resources from the Frostveil Expanse, and we currently have an advantage."

He paused.

"The beast numbers have been reduced considerably."

Everyone understood what he meant.

Yesterday’s battle had killed a huge number of beasts.

That gave them breathing room.

But it wouldn’t last forever.

Cornelius continued.

"We need to use that advantage."

His gaze moved across the room.

"Take the resources you’ve earned and become stronger. Then return to the Frostveil Expanse."

A few elders immediately understood.

"We keep clearing it."

Cornelius nodded.

"Exactly."

Damon’s eyes sharpened.

They weren’t simply sending people back for resources.

They were going to keep the beast population under control.

If the Frostveil Expanse was connected to the instability spreading through the region, then allowing its beasts to multiply again would only make things worse.

Right now, they had an edge.

The previous battle had given them one.

They needed to maintain it.

"Visit the Frostveil Expanse regularly," Cornelius said. "Hunt the beasts before their numbers grow again. Gather information while you’re there, and report anything unusual."

The elders nodded.

It was a simple plan.

Strengthen themselves.

Keep the Frostveil Expanse under control.

Continue the investigation.

And find a way to stabilize the Distorted Zones before the problem grew beyond their ability to handle it.

Damon leaned back in his chair.

It wasn’t a bad plan.

In fact, it gave him exactly what he wanted.

A reason to explore.

A reason to fight.

And more importantly, a reason to keep looking for answers.

Damon smiled slightly.

Things were finally getting interesting.