Chapter 1198: Natural Mandate

"We've got one," the Leader of the Growing Grass Team transmitted to his team. The athletic woman behind him didn't react since she could also sense what the Leader was sensing. After all, she had made the Sensing Formation Array, which her Leader was using. The other two members narrowed their eyes and became serious. One of them had long green hair and was on the shorter end, while the other one had brown hair with a stocky build.

"Team Ankylosaurus," the Leader transmitted, and the other members inspected Kyle's team in the Excursion Lobby with their Divine Consciousnesses.

"This is too good to be true," the green-haired one transmitted with some excitement. "They're at a lower level! Even more, they're unaffiliated!"

"Wait," the stocky guy transmitted. "That guy with the hammer had a conversation with the Protector some time ago. We shouldn't be hasty."

"He talked with the Protector?" the Leader asked as the others looked at the stocky guy with surprise.

"Yes," the stocky guy said. "I'm sure of it. Since I'm training to become a Guide, I have to know these things. The Protector came to the marketplace specifically to talk to him, and the two of them left together. We don't know what happened afterward. We need to exercise prudence."

"He's unaffiliated," the green-haired guy transmitted. "They might have talked, but he wasn't recruited. Only the affiliation status matters, not with who someone talked to."

"Whom," the stocky guy corrected.

The green-haired guy ignored the comment and just looked at the Leader.

"His Formation Arrays are beyond my level," the athletic woman chimed in. "He might be a true Formation Array Master."

"See?" the green-haired guy transmitted. "He's a Formation Array Master. That's why the Protector talked to him. She was probably suspicious of his hammer. What if it's a World Weapon? She probably just wanted to know if he's a member of Inner World or something like that. Nothing to worry about."

"Impatience leads to hasty judgment, which leads to an early grave," the stocky man commented. "Rein in your greed."

The Leader looked at Kyle's team with a frown. The enemy was a fat sheep, but the sheep might have a protective farmer.

"Greeting or slaughter," the Leader transmitted.

When the green-haired man heard that, he sighed in annoyance. The stocky man furrowed his brows, but he would follow his leader. The athletic woman was fine with the choice.

In general, there were three things a stronger team could do when finding a weaker team.

One, ignore them.

Two, attack them.

Three...

"The Grass Growing Team is considering the Natural Mandate," the Leader transmitted to the four Avatars within the moving Formation Array Network.

"That's unexpected," Kyle transmitted to Sebastian and Abyssal Depths after he heard the voice transmission. "They want Karmic Luck."

Abyssal Depths furrowed her brows while Sebastian chuckled a bit. "You think they're intimidated?" he asked.

"They have to be," Abyssal Depths transmitted. "It might be because you've talked to the Protector. Will we accept the deal?"

This was the third thing a stronger team could do when encountering a weaker team. Sometimes, it wasn't the best idea to kill a weaker team due to certain circumstances. However, that didn't mean that the stronger team would leave with nothing.

As Immortals, they were incentivized to consume resources. The stronger ones eat the weaker ones. The act of taking valuables from a much weaker person was despicable, but taking the valuables of a slightly weaker person was only natural. This was the Natural Mandate.

By telling the weaker team that the stronger team was considering the Natural Mandate, the stronger team was telling the weaker team that they had the power and the right to attack and kill them without losing a noticeable amount of Karmic Luck. This statement also implied that the weaker team had made a great mistake on their path to power. After all, they were now in a situation in which a superior team could kill them.

Mentioning the Natural Mandate was pointless if a stronger team wanted to attack. After all, if someone had the permission to do something, they didn't need to tell everyone that they had the permission. They would just do it.

By mentioning the Natural Mandate, the stronger team was opening a path for the weaker team. As long as the weaker team acknowledged the Natural Mandate and asked for leniency, the stronger team would say that they wouldn't make use of the Natural Mandate today.

Now again in stupid:

"I'm strong! You're weak!"

"You're strong! I'm sorry!"

"I spare you!"

Naturally, this exchange would result in a change in Karmic Luck. After all, a stronger team spared a weaker team, which meant that they had essentially saved several Avatars from destruction. This gave the stronger team a good chunk of Karmic Luck.

However, trying to harvest Karmic Luck was also not without dangers.

"Our answer?" Abyssal Depths asked.

"Ankylosaurus," Kyle answered with a smirk.

Kyle turned towards the Leader, who had just exposed his location.

"The Natural Mandate is mine to forsake," Kyle transmitted.

When the Growing Grass Team heard Kyle's transmission, they narrowed their eyes.

Now, a battle was unavoidable. In order to receive Karmic Luck via this method, one also had to commit. After all, if one didn't need to commit, everyone could just invoke the Natural Mandate all the time and harvest infinite Karmic Luck. Every gain had an associated cost.

Kyle had just said that their team was superior. Therefore, it was they who could invoke the Natural Mandate, not the other team. This completely flipped the dynamic of Karmic Luck.

Earlier, if the Growing Grass Team decided not to fight, they would receive positive Karmic Luck. If they attacked, their Karmic Luck wouldn't change.

Now, if the Growing Grass Team decided not to fight, they would lose Karmic Luck. If they attacked, their Karmic Luck wouldn't change. After all, they had just tried to gain some Karmic Luck from Kyle's team. If their words had been empty, it would be like they had tried to scam a stronger team out of some Karmic Luck.

Both teams had stated that they were stronger. If either team backed out, they would lose an entire level of Karmic Luck.

Exactly this possibility was why the stocky man hadn't supported this choice. Now, they had to fight. After all, they couldn't afford to lose so much Karmic Luck.

"So be it," the Leader transmitted.

Then, several things happened at the same time. The Leader, the stocky guy, and the green-haired guy flew out of their Formation Arrays. Abyssal Depths gathered Energy, while Sebastian pulled out his spear. Red and Blue rapidly summoned materials and started to construct several complicated Formation Arrays. The New Immortal remained inside her Formation Arrays. She wasn't powerful enough to fight in this battle.

"I'll take the black-haired woman," the Leader transmitted to his companions. "Adamantine Warden, crush the silver-haired Beginner Immortal. Featherfall Willow, rush towards the Formation Array Master."

"Affirmative."

"Got it!"

BANG!

Within a moment, all three of them charged forward.

Abyssal Depths narrowed her eyes and charged towards the Leader while immense bolts of lightning gathered around Sebastian.

An instant later, a sparkling snake made of lightning appeared behind Sebastian as his eyes turned white. The Energy around him shook with intensity.

The Leader and Abyssal Depths reached each other, but they weren't the ones to launch the first attack.

The lightning snake shot forward at unreasonable speed, transforming into a spear. Adamantine Warden gathered metal and earth around him and summoned a powerful golem.

BOOOOM!

The golem broke into pieces, and some of the scattering lightning turned into small spears, which shot towards Adamantine Warden. More metal and earth appeared around him.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The spears and the defensive mass broke each other, and even though the fight didn't stop, most people still looked at Sebastian in shock.

Adamantine Warden was still alive, but he had lost over 30% of his Energy.

Meanwhile, Sebastian had lost around 37% of his Energy.

Sebastian had lost out a little with this clash, but not overly so.

Losing a clash wasn't the shocking part.

The shocking part was that Adamantine Warden was an Adept Immortal...

And Sebastian was a Beginner Immortal.

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