Chapter 235 - 197: Meeting of the Seven Saints

Chapter 235: Chapter 197: Meeting of the Seven Saints

Balder’s status carried considerable weight in the Logan Kingdom.

He was a Master Level Alchemist and an honorary member of the Alchemist Association.

A status like that was worth as much as five Master Level Swordsmen.

As a general rule, those with specialized skills were considered a cut above those who could only swing a greatsword.

So, it didn’t take long for his request for an audience with the head of the Logan Royal family to be granted.

Mammon Haines.

The current ruler of the Logan Kingdom—in other words, the King.

He himself also possessed the combat prowess of a Master Level warrior.

When Mammon saw Dugu Yunfeng and Balder, a flicker of surprise went through him.

Although both were seated, it was obvious that Balder held Dugu Yunfeng in high esteem.

This implied that Balder’s status was lower than Dugu Yunfeng’s.

’For someone of Balder’s standing to be so deferential, this man must be extraordinary.’

"My apologies for the wait." Mammon sat down, then looked at Balder. "Master Morton, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard any news of you. A while back, I heard you improved the Demon Boiling Potion and was just about to place an order, but then I couldn’t get in touch with you..."

"Your Majesty, as you know, an Alchemist like myself needs inspiration to innovate and make breakthroughs. Staying in one place all the time is not conducive to creation," Balder said.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the conversation turned to Dugu Yunfeng, and they got down to business.

"Master Morton, might I ask if this gentleman with the extraordinary air is a friend of yours?" Mammon inquired.

"Allow me to introduce you, Your Majesty. This is Dugu Yunfeng, a Legendary Swordsman affiliated with the Saint King Council," Balder said. "I have come today on behalf of the Saint King Council."

"Legendary!"

Mammon immediately rose to his feet and bowed to Dugu Yunfeng, showing his respect.

He did this even though he was a King and a Master Level powerhouse.

But some things simply transcended worldly rules.

For instance, the mighty beings who had reached the Legendary Level.

Such existences had the right to stand above the mundane world.

When facing a Legendary existence, he could only interact with them as an individual.

His so-called power and authority meant nothing.

And in terms of individual strength, he was the weaker party, which was why he had to take the initiative to show proper courtesy.

Dugu Yunfeng gave a slight nod in return.

"To put it simply, the Saint King Council wishes to cooperate with you, the Logan Kingdom, and the Arcane Federation," Dugu Yunfeng stated bluntly.

As a Sword Cultivator, he was not one for beating around the bush.

He always spoke his mind.

He said what he thought and rarely minced words.

"Cooperation?" Mammon’s expression grew thoughtful. He asked, "Without specific information about your council, it might be difficult to proceed with any cooperative matters."

"You need only relay the message and select a date for our cooperation. In a few days, a supreme leader will personally visit the Arcane Federation to discuss the details. As for information about us and the nature of our collaboration, we can reveal a portion. It is rather complex to explain, so we will use this device for the presentation."

As he spoke, Dugu Yunfeng placed a Spiritual Projection Device on the table and activated it.

In the next instant, an edited promotional video began to play.

It focused on a Floating City, countless cultivators soaring through the sky, and enormous Immortal Ships. Then it showed Origin Star, from outer space all the way down to the surface, revealing towering skyscrapers, countless machines, and massive industrial facilities.

As it played, a narration translated into the common tongue of Lan’er accompanied the visuals.

The translation had been done by Balder himself.

’A power from another plane...’

Mammon was stunned.

Someone had suddenly appeared, shown him these things, and told him they were from another plane and wanted to cooperate.

He found the entire situation utterly preposterous.

But the two men were right in front of him. He had already confirmed Dugu Yunfeng’s strength—he was undoubtedly at the peak of the Legendary Level.

The court Mage behind him had just confirmed it using Identification Magic.

A figure of such stature wouldn’t fabricate such an absurd story just to fool him.

Besides, Mammon certainly couldn’t recall any Legendary figure like this on Lan’er.

Therefore, there was a high probability that they were telling the truth.

"You can take this projection device back with you. Find the people who are actually in charge and let them make a judgment. We will return in a few days," Dugu Yunfeng said.

He then rose, intending to leave.

In his eyes, Mammon was merely a puppet, not the one truly in charge, so he didn’t want to waste any more time talking to him.

Balder gave a bow and followed Dugu Yunfeng out.

His mind was now completely set on following Zhang Ji; he had no other intentions.

Their departure was unimpeded. As he was leaving the Royal Palace in a carriage, Dugu Yunfeng glanced back just once.

He could feel that aura.

’It was barely on the same tier as me, but it was just an ordinary Divinity Transformation Tier presence. Perhaps not even as strong as Nangong Zhiqing. An existence I could vanquish with a single sword strike.’

...

「Meanwhile.」

Deep within the Royal Palace of the Logan Kingdom.

Mammon knocked on the doors of a grand hall, and a tall woman in red robes strode out.

The temperature around her was extremely high. Her pupils were golden and vertical, and parts of her skin were covered in crimson scales.

If Zhang Ji were here, he would have recognized her.

A Half-Dragon, Astraea Haines.

One of the seven Legendary sages of the Arcane Federation and the founder of the Logan Kingdom.

Among the players, she was also known as the "Dragon Gal."

Taking the device from Mammon, Astraea examined it. Sensing something within, she probed it with her Spiritual Power. The next moment, it was as if a sword had materialized from thin air, piercing the void. A razor-sharp Sword Intent nearly shattered her soul.

When she came to her senses, she realized it had all been an illusion.

It was merely the other party’s way of demonstrating their power.

"Ancestor, what are your thoughts?"

Mammon carefully looked up at the over two-meter-tall Astraea and asked.

Astraea remained silent for a long while before finally speaking. "I need to go out. In the meantime, if they return, treat them with the utmost hospitality."

After speaking, without waiting for Mammon’s reaction, her figure shot into the sky. In mid-air, she transformed into a giant, red-scaled dragon with a wingspan of several hundred meters and quickly vanished from sight.

...

...

The Arcane Federation was an organization jointly established by seven kingdoms.

At the core of this organization were seven Legendary Level beings.

The life of each one of them could be considered a history book in itself.

Long lifespans, vast knowledge, and immense power.

Without these individuals, the Arcane Federation might not even qualify as a second-tier power.

For ordinary matters within the Arcane Federation, the presence of one or two Legendary members was usually sufficient.

However, when faced with a major event that could have a massive impact on the entire Federation, all seven Legendary members would be summoned to deliberate and make decisions together.

This assembly was known as the Council of Seven Sages.

From its founding to the present day, the Arcane Federation had held the Council of Seven Sages only twice.

The first time was at its inception, to discuss development matters and divide interests.

The second was a thousand years ago, due to a border conflict with the Empire of the Mechanical Heart that nearly escalated into a full-scale war.

This was the third time.

Within the vast council hall, the Seven Sages took their respective seats.

Seated at the head was Celestia from the Orielle Kingdom. She appeared as a woman with silver hair, dressed in the robes of a Mage.

She was also the current chair of the Federation, a powerhouse at the peak of the Legendary Level.

Seated below her, in order, were Alpha Lante, the Legendary Mechanist from the Veridia Kingdom.

Chronos Benny, the Legendary Swordsman from the Zephilia Kingdom.

Astraea Haines, the Legendary Dragonblood Warrior from the Logan Kingdom.

Mobius Allen, the Legendary Necromancer from the Nordwind Kingdom.

Vilanice Harling, the Legendary Assassin from the Vostok Kingdom.

And Elfrida Baker, the Legendary Elf from the Malavaz Kingdom.

After the Council of Seven Sages convened, Astraea stood up and shared the information she had obtained.

The projection device given by Dugu Yunfeng was also studied repeatedly.

"What powerful Swordsmanship!" Chronos exclaimed.

He felt his own Swordsmanship was leagues below it.

"How many of his strikes could you take?" asked his friend, Mobius, who was sitting beside him.

"Half a strike..." Chronos replied. He stated frankly, "I am far inferior to him. Perhaps only our leader, Celestia, could fight him."

"This mechanical device is also something I’ve never seen before. It doesn’t seem to be a product of the Empire of the Mechanical Heart. The energy it uses is neither Demon Energy nor any other known type. It even contains new elements that have never been discovered—more than one, in fact..." Alpha said.

"So it’s true? An organization from another plane has found us?" Vilanice said.

"I’ve heard of contact with otherworlds in the past, but they were supposedly just barren, desolate planes with little value. This time seems different. If a single diplomat sent to establish relations has this kind of power, I can’t even imagine how strong they truly are," Elfrida said.

"Didn’t you see? Soaring through the heavens and burrowing through the earth, they seem almost omnipotent..." Mobius said, pointing at the projection device.

"Rewind it a bit. Let me see the trade details. It seems they only said they want to buy Magic Crystals, Magic Potions, and various minerals from us. The terms they offered include assisting our industrial development and technology trade. The resource aspect is to be discussed in detail later..." Chronos operated the projection device, reviewing the cooperation details listed on it once more.

"For a power this terrifying to come seeking diplomatic ties instead of invasion is undoubtedly a good thing for us. We need to seize this opportunity and prevent them from choosing the Saint Silver Church Country or the Empire of the Mechanical Heart."

"Who’s to say they aren’t establishing relations with all three parties simultaneously?"

"Even so, we can’t push them away. At the very least, we must not make them our enemies."

The discussion went on, wave after wave. Celestia, in the chair’s seat, did not interject much, only offering her opinion when someone occasionally asked for it.

Her opinion was already quite clear.

Cooperation was a certainty.

Furthermore, it would be best to cooperate deeply, binding them directly to the Arcane Federation.

In the current state of the world, the Arcane Federation had already fallen somewhat behind the Saint Silver Church Country and the Empire of the Mechanical Heart.

Their development couldn’t keep up with the times.

The Saint Silver Church Country continuously exported large quantities of Magic Crystals to help the Empire of the Mechanical Heart develop its Demon Energy Technology. The two sides had become as close as family.

Meanwhile, the Federation had few bargaining chips, making it difficult to cooperate with the Saint Silver Church Country. As for the Empire of the Mechanical Heart, their relationship was hostile—an animosity that would be difficult to resolve.

There was also strong resistance to Demon Energy Technology within the Federation. At present, they were on a path of slow decline.

With this powerful fourth party suddenly appearing on the scene, if they played their cards right, they could easily break the stalemate.

Moreover, the various resources from another plane were a considerable temptation for them as well.