Chapter 994: Alternate Timeline: Missile System Upgrade

The ruined village remained silent as she followed behind the beast emperor toward the graveyard located near the edge of the mountain peak.

Cold winds brushed through weathered burial mounds.

No grand tombstones existed there.

No glorious monuments.

Only rows upon rows of nameless graves resting beneath grey skies and decades of loneliness.

Yet despite the absence of names, Juren remembered every single one.

As they walked slowly between the graves, the beast emperor pointed toward different burial mounds one after another while quietly speaking about the disciples, elders, and warriors buried beneath them.

Kiara listened patiently.

Not because she felt emotionally attached, but because understanding the past of the Frost Clan might become useful later.

Eventually, they stopped before a burial mound located near the center.

The moment Juren looked toward it, a trace of sorrow surfaced within his golden eyes.

"This..."

"This is where your grandfather and grandmother were buried together."

His voice became noticeably softer.

"Madam Arianna was merely a third-star Spirit Warrior. Yet, she possessed a special ability that let her fight against superior opponents. She could temporarily influence ordinary beasts and fierce-grade beasts without contracts."

"In rare cases... She could even affect a Beast King of the Exalt Realm for several moments."

Then the beast emperor lowered his gaze slightly.

"Thirty years ago, when the dungeon break occurred within these mountains, many disciples fled in fear."

"Several elders abandoned the sect and escaped with their families."

"And even that traitorous coward Ares Frost ran away."

A faint bitterness entered his tone.

"But Madam Arianna stayed."

"Even when my master ordered her to leave... She refused."

The mountain wind grew colder.

Juren’s voice also became heavier.

"To buy merely several seconds for your grandfather... She attempted to seize control over the Dungeon Overlord, the White Stag."

Then he fell silent.

Meanwhile, Kiara’s eyes widened. "The White Stag?" Suddenly, something stirred in her memories from several weeks ago.

Kiara remembered this girl, Celia of House Pearl. She was carrying the spirit of the m,ythical spirit, White Stag too...

Are both the same? Or she was mistaken?

Kiara wondered.

Then, after a pause, she looked at him thoughtfully and asked. "Did she fail?"

After several seconds, the beast emperor finally smiled faintly.

"No, she succeeded."

"Madam Arianna managed to stop the White Stag for eight full seconds. Those eight seconds allowed my master to complete his ultimate technique. And because of that..."

"Mankind survived."

Juren slowly looked toward the distant mountains.

"This world owes both my master and Madam Arianna a debt. Had the White Stag survived... The entire continent would have drowned beneath disaster."

Kiara inwardly frowned.

She honestly felt the beast emperor was glorifying Lysander Frost too much.

After all, supreme experts existed throughout the continent. Hidden monsters always remained buried beneath history and politics.

If even Vann Silver secretly reached the Supreme Realm without public knowledge, then there were definitely others hiding too.

Still...

She kept those thoughts mostly to herself.

Since the contract was already established and Juren Frost could no longer harm her, Kiara carefully voiced her doubt.

"Was the White Stag truly that powerful? I heard it was merely a rank-nine dungeon break."

Juren immediately shook his head.

"Do not compare beasts with humans. Two human Spirit Warriors within the same realm may possess similar strength despite their ether reserve differences. But bloodlines...

"They determine everything for us."

His eyes narrowed slightly and then continued.

"The White Stag was not an ordinary beast. It was an ancient-grade creature, a level above emperor-grade beasts like us."

"Even now, at my peak strength, I could barely contend against such an existence."

Then his voice carried unmistakable admiration.

"That is why your grandfather was extraordinary. He was merely a mid-stage Demigod, yet he slew a White Stag, which stood at the peak stage of the demigod realm."

Kiara’s heartbeat skipped momentarily.

Demigod.

No one had ever told her that Lysander Frost actually reached the Demigod Realm.

Perhaps common people never knew.

Or perhaps Kiara himself simply lacked such knowledge.

Either way...

The revelation no longer mattered much.

The man was dead.

The White Stag was also dead.

History remained history.

After quietly putting aside those thoughts, Kiara stepped forward and knelt respectfully before the burial mound, lowering her head.

Whether emotional attachment existed or not, paying respects cost her nothing.

After rising again, she looked toward Juren.

"For now... I will return to the Imperial City."

Then she calmly asked, "What about you?"

The Zheng stared at her for a long moment in silence.

After a while;

The helicopter slowly rose from one of the silent peaks of the Desmont mountain range, while Kiara stood near the side entrance and quietly looked downward at the shrinking ruins of the Frost Clan.

Far below, amidst broken halls and weathered graves buried beneath decades of loneliness, Juren, dressed in faded robes, still stood unmoving beside the graveyard like an old tree refusing to leave the soil where it first took root.

Kiara narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Well, the important part is already done. I established the spiritual connection. That alone is enough for now."

Her thoughts moved rapidly one after another while the helicopter pierced through drifting clouds.

"Until I officially rebuild the Frost Clan and create my own private army, I only need to maintain the relationship. Regular visits should be enough."

Then she checked the loyalty percentage once again.

23 percent.

The number made her lips twitch faintly.

"Still too low. At this level, he can still sever the contract if his emotions fluctuate strongly enough."

The deeper she thought about it, the more she felt that leaving Juren inside the ruined Frost Clan was actually the best possible choice.

Not only would it reduce unnecessary attention from outsiders, but more importantly... It would keep him far away from Callista Frost.

Kiara’s gaze darkened slightly.

"That woman is too sharp. If Juren stays near her for long enough, there is always a chance she notices something unusual. And if she learns that I inherited Lysander Frost’s legacy before I become strong enough..."

"That would become troublesome as well."

After thinking for several moments, she finally let out a slow breath and shook her head lightly.

"Forget it. You already gained enough today. You still have mountains of work waiting for you."

Soon, the helicopter vanished beyond the clouds.

Far below, Juren quietly watched until even the sound of the flying machine disappeared completely from the skies.

Only then did he slowly return toward the graveyard with his broom in hand once more.

His footsteps were unhurried.

His movements slow.

Like a man who had already spent decades walking beside silence itself.

Back to Kiara, once the helicopter stabilized its course toward the Imperial City, she finally opened her inventory window with visible anticipation rising inside her eyes.

Her available credits had reached an absurd amount.

Between the unused credit limit, remaining balance, and the newly obtained rewards from the hidden quest, she currently possessed more wealth than most noble clans could even imagine.

And naturally...

The first thing she decided to spend it on was the newly acquired Missile Defense System. She pressed on it for a long second and opened its stats.

"Alright..."

"Let us see how terrifying you can become."

Without wasting another second, Kiara directly pressed the upgrade option.

[Ding! 1000 credits were deducted. Missile Defense System-I was successfully upgraded to Missile Defense System-II.]

The moment the upgrade completed, the visual model displayed before her immediately transformed.

Previously, the system resembled several clustered launch tubes awkwardly bundled together like crude battlefield mortars.

Now, however, the structure appeared cleaner.

Sharper.

And More organized with ten launch tubes aligned perfectly in two horizontal rows.

Kiara’s eyes brightened slightly.

"Good."

"Now it actually looks like a weapon."

Without hesitation, she continued upgrading.

[Ding! 4000 credits were deducted. Missile Defense System-II was successfully upgraded to Missile Defense System-III.]

[Ding! 20000 credits were deducted. Missile Defense System-III was successfully upgraded to Missile Defense System-IV.]

[Ding! You unlocked the X-2 missile.]

The model evolved again.

The launch structure became larger and more compact at the same time, almost resembling a true military installation from Earth.

Kiara did not stop.

[Ding! 120,000 credits were deducted. Missile Defense System-IV was successfully upgraded to Missile Defense System-V.]

[Ding! You unlocked the X-3 missile.]

Then finally...

[Ding! Insufficient credits.]

Kiara clicked her tongue softly.

"The next upgrade needs eight hundred and forty thousand credits? That escalated quickly."

Still, after calming down slightly, she accepted reality rather quickly.

"Forget it. For now, this is already more than enough."

Soon, the full details appeared before her.