Poseidon's tears considerably strengthened Shen Shen's already powerful soul, it also cleansed her body of any impurities. The girl's Lvl or Realm remained non-existent but her foundation was solid and perfect so if she embarks in one of three orthodox strengthening routes, she'll power-up at an absurd speed. In fact, Zaarae said that by the time she reaches twenty and if she trains diligently, she'll become an Overgod or a Lv10,000 player.

Surprisingly and despite the Empress' objection, Shen Shen wanted to become a player as cultivation seemed too boring for her taste. She's the curious and adventurous type and killing mobs to become stronger is much more fun than cultivating in an empty cave for months or even years.

So, Zaarae ended up providing a personal system only meant for the little girl as, per her words, the universal system isn't that good and could possibly endanger her later on.

Anyway, the black ship of captain Faded Grass reached a lively port situated on the East Coast of the Land of Golden Sand. Beyond the port laid a golden land which would take anyone's breath away, the grains were shining under the blinding rays of the sun hanging high-up in the sky.

"Sir Arthur, I think the Fallen God Clan is in the Ramel Kingdom. It's the only kingdom here and it rules over the whole area."

Esco explained a few things to Arthur, he also spoke of the neighboring lands and the forces which they may potentially encounter in their travels. Though Arthur paid him little attention as he's strong enough to take care of simple armies, moreover, Zaarae is still accompanying here.

Unless it's a truly powerful being then there should be no problem.

Apparently, the Land of Golden Sand is considerably big and neighbors two other equally big pieces of land. The first is the Phantom Treant Demonic Forest, and the second is a mountain range that houses a few second-rate sects and clans which immigrated from the Cloud Sea Universe.

Unlike the Black Sea, flight is possible above the desert, furthermore, traveling by foot is dangerous as the earth is crawling with all kinds of underground monsters and non-sentient demons. Also, just like the Cloud Sea Universe, the most common method of traveling here is by Spirit Boats, which are fueled by Spirit Stones or Energy crystals.

The Chief Guard Buo Buo had two Spirit Boats, both prestigious and big enough for hundreds of people. The flying ship was made of silver and had black gold exquisite lines on both of its sides. The group has no business to do in the port so they got on the Spirit Boat and departed almost immediately.

"What are your plans?"

Only now did Arthur talk to the quiet Vyncent, face to face and alone. The blond-haired man looked at the golden desert stretching as far as the eye could see, then replied,

"Thanks for your help. I think I'll leave when we reach the Ramel Kingdom."

Arthur nodded his head and spoke again,

��You can stay if you want. I'm not forcing you to leave, we date way back, after all."

"No, now that I lost my sect, I want to explore the world."

"Sure, you do that then…" Arthur paused for a second then added, "But it's up to Shen Shen if she wants to go with you or stay."

Vyncent wryly smiled and said back,

"Coming with me isn't safe for her. I'll just leave quietly, don't worry."

The young man bowed his head toward the parasite then left the room, his face containing a determined expression. Arthur remained alone for a brief period, pondering about a few things, all about Vyncent.

Noticing the arrival of a relatively tall and gorgeous woman wearing a short black dress, Arthur asked,

"What do you think about him?"

Zaarae furrowed her brows, not understanding him at first.

"Him? Oh.. Ah! You mean that boy?"

She crossed her arms and thought for ten full seconds before replying.

"There is nothing to say really. I'm not sure what you want to know… if it's his talent then he's average but he does have an incredible Corrupted Zen Treasure in his possession."

Arthur wasn't surprised, he turned his head and looked at her.

"It's that grey coin, right?"

"Indeed. Corrupt Zen Treasures are just like Zen Treasures but they don't require a unique inheritance. Plus, they tend to be malicious and inflict self-harm upon the user. I don't know anything about that coin but it does have something to do with Space and Souls. Were it not a corrupt one, I would have given it to you as it may be useful in reaching the Garden… a real shame, really."

Arthur just waved his hand as if he didn't care.

"He's a sly but good kid. I owe him."

"You do? I thought you brought him because you needed him. Should I give him something special then?"

The parasite shook his head, disagreeing with her. "Leave it. He walks his own path and if it's meant to be then we'll meet again. Hopefully under good circumstances."

…

The silver Spirit Boat was unquestionably fast, much faster than even Arthur's full speed. The cost was an exorbitant amount of Spirit Stones, which Arthur didn't have much of as Zodiak's storage is with the original, nevertheless, the goblin's ring did have enough for the boat to function for at least a year. There was also a lot of gold, shiny treasures and books about some techniques, which aren't useful at all for the parasite.

The Ramel Kingdom is the ruler of this golden desert and the group's destination is precisely the kingdom's capital. The Fallen-God is actually the real power behind the kingdom and the King is none other than the son of Kass' grandson. Unlike the desert, the capital city was grand and majestic, truly deserving of a kingdom which existed since the Era of Beginning.

It was surrounded by walls so high that they pierced the clouds, they were made of solidified golden sand and were emitting rich Earthen Energy. As for the entrance to this city(Ramel City), it was an equally large gate made from black obsidian. What was more awe-inspiring was the two life-like statue standing at the left and right of the gate. They were holding spears made of sand and facing each other, their height easily surpassing one kilometer. If you look at them from the ground, you can't even see their faces.

Arthur's sense wasn't able to penetrate inside the city, it seems that the walls were not only meant for protection as they were embedded with magic that negates everything, which means that trying to probe the forces of the city from outside isn't possible. Even his Sixth Sense didn't work, moreover, the two statues made him a bit uncomfortable.

"They're Sand Protectors. There are 12 of them across the whole city and 21 in the whole kingdom." Said Esco as he gasped at the sight of the wall and statues. He's knowledgeable but he can't help but be shocked at the marvelous before him.

"No, I feel 13 protectors inside the city." Zaarae glanced at the statues and commented but a frown soon appeared on her face.

"Hahahaha what luck! My man!"

Hearing this, Arthur creased her brow and looked back at her with confusion. The one who answered his question was Radolf, who materialized right behind him.

"Master, there's a mythical being in the city."

"Oh? Which one is it?"

"The Monkey King. I've met him only once but he isn't the aggressive type."

Midolf butted in and coldly stated.

"He's cool but for a mythical being, his actions contradict his nature. He fools around too much, all he knows is drinking and fucking… ugh."

The white-haired youth spat on the ground, clearly not satisfied with the way the monkey king behaves.

Arthur was just about to speak again only to hear a deafening cry coming from within the city. A silhouette appeared from far away and in just a few seconds, it became clear enough to distinguish its appearance.

He had a humanoid body but the features of a monkey. His ears, nose and skin resembled a monkey but what made him eye-catching was the dark red tight clothes he was wearing, on his back there rested a golden staff with a round ball on both its edges.

"My Empressssss!!!"

The monkey king's voice reverberated across the whole area, he didn't decrease his speed and, instead, opened his arms and charged at Zaarae, ready to hug her. Unfortunately, Zaarae snorted and raised her kick, striking him with a sideway kick and sending him flying like a kite. His body violently crashed into the thick wall, leaving a deep hole that resembled his figure. The monkey king didn't seem bothered as he recovered and shot back again but didn't repeat the same action. He stopped before Arthur's group, a wide smile plastered on his animalistic face.

"Monkey King Sun Wukong."

Radolf spoke the mythical being's, causing the latter to look at him then at Midolf.

"Oh it's the inseparable duo! Good seeing you."

After casually saying that, he shifted his attention back to Zaarae. He didn't even spare a glance at Arthur, Shen Shen, or the rest.

********

The man cautiously looked around before focusing his attention back on the fist-sized creature three meters away from him. It had a hundred green eyes, a slimy white body and a slippery thin tongue which was licking the grass around it, though those eyes were all gazing at Edward Ortberg, whose breath was taken away and his body was frozen, shocked by the strange creature before him. It was similar to a frog but looked scary to the mortal, who only saw fantasy-like creatures in books or movies.

"Awfully creepy and unsettling. Best to leave it alone."

He retracted his gaze and turned around, slowly distancing himself from the frog. Alas, Edward wasn't able to escape from the frog, which leapt a great distance, landing right behind him. He ignored it and quickened his steps but the white and small creature kept following him even after he started madly running.

Twenty minutes later, the man was gasping for breath and sweating profusely, his hand resting on a tree and supporting his fatigued body.

**********

BONUS LORE

The 12 Mythical Beings are often talked about and ranked based on their mysterious powers and their offensive and defensive abilities. Some are incapable of battling and can be easily defeated but that doesn't make them weak, in fact, those that have non-oriented battle powers are more sought for and revered.

However, if we were to rank them based on their battle strength then the first one is definitely the Headless Soldier, who has an ability that can infinitely strengthen him as long as he fights.

The Queen Arachne, Spectral Bone Ghost, and the Monkey King tie for the second place. As for the third place, it's taken by Radolf and Midolf, who are often regarded as one entity as they are always together.

Fourth place is Fire Phoenix, followed by the Ice Phoenix, the Black Kraken, the One-eyed Flamingo, the Rainbow Qirin, then at last place, it's the Frog of Destiny.