If he was going to save that universe, he'd require a base of operations.

When invading a galaxy, Aaron would usually conquer the first planet only after determining that it was good enough to become his first foothold in the region. Such places required extensive resources to be built, defended, and maintained.

However, after his first cultivation session, he needed to let his body and soul get used to his new power for six days. The next session would leave his body only at the Three Star level and he would need triple the time, eighteen days, to get used to the greater quantity and density of Qi. When he got to the Four Star level, the waiting period would be almost two months, and the interval would keep increasing. His cultivation speed was absurdly high, but natural limits still existed.

However, if he had high economic and military power — and the information network that came with both — he could search for magic resources capable of reducing the intervals.

Such resources were rare, kept secret by their owners, or quickly used to prevent greedy people from stealing them. Aaron had no hope of finding many of them, even with countless spies. He would find mostly inferior resources with side-effects, the usage of with could hinder his cultivation in the long run, so he wouldn't touch those. Even though his alchemical skills could minimize the side-effects, he couldn't completely suppress them in most cases.

That said, finding a single one of them could make all the difference, and he had nothing better to do while he waited. Taking advantage of the period between cultivation sessions to conquer the world and search for resources would also reinforce the image of ambition he wanted to convey to the Cage. This would bring its own risks and challenges with it, but he didn't doubt for a second that he would triumph over them!

So it was decided, he would conquer that kingdom, that empire, and then, the world.

He smiled at Alys. "Ok, thanks for the information."

Oblivious to the fact that her innocent answer about some random leaves had decided the fate of the entire world, Alys bowed again and said, "I'm always glad to help, master."

He dismissed her, and she returned to the group, placed some lackluster warning spells around them, and went to sleep.

Aaron didn't thrust those spells for a moment.

He spent the night awake, watching out for threats and making plans for the future.

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Light rain fell on him again after his morning training.

This time, he had woke Alys up before training so she would keep everyone asleep and safe. He also trained in his clothes.

His face was turned to the heavens, feeling the drops of water hit him slower and weaker every moment, until the rain stopped completely. When he looked around, it wasn't just Alys who was staring at his general direction with lost eyes.

Dozens of beasts of all kinds had felt the energy disturbance in the forest and had come to investigate. They ended up forming a circle around him and watching his movements in silence.

Their minds were not as discerning as Alys' to understand the Laws that had been exposed to them in that universal harmonization, nor to distill Concepts from Aaron's movements. However, beasts had a keen instinct that let them vaguely feel their evolutionary paths based on what they had witnessed.

A few seconds after Aaron moved, they awoke from their trance and glanced around before stampeding out.

A surprised three-meter-tall bear didn't see the transparent dome that Alys had erected around the Fire Wolves and slammed its face in it. It left not even a scratch on the barrier. It fell to the ground, rolled, got on all fours, shook its head, and ran in another direction.

Alys was unaffected by the commotion. Once again, she had fallen into a state of enlightenment. This time, it lasted about five minutes less than last time, and she bowed in deep respect when she woke up and saw Aaron waiting for her.

"Forgive my delay, master."

Aaron nodded. "I'm not your master. Dry me, wake up the others, and let's get going."

"Yes, master."

He shook his head in response while she used a simple spell to dry him and his clothes. Shortly thereafter, they continued their journey.

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Madam Selna, her escort group, and their servants formed an entourage of over one hundred people.

A tracking artifact let her feel Sorceress Tyren's Arcane Emblem in the distance, moving further and further away. It was a pity that Tyren was a mere Three Star Sorceress. From the Four Star level onwards, the Circle gave different badges to its Sorcerers, enchanted not only for tracking but also for distant communication.

Most of the servants in the retinue were mere Inepts. They tired easily, moved slowly, and didn't know how to ride. Therefore, the Fire Wolves would only increase the distance between themselves and Madam Selna. But she knew the Fire Wolves were heading towards the Sky Splitter Sword, and once they entered the caves, she would gain ground on them. Eventually, she would catch up.

Her only source of anxiety was the need to reach them before they activated the trap the king had set up there. That would have them all killed or cause the Hero-spy to disappear. Unless he was going to the sword under instructions from the king for unknown reasons, that is.

Madam Selna considered the future while sitting on a palanquin carried by four Two Star Squires and surrounded by thirty Two Star Soldiers. The predominant colors of the retinue were the silver and black of the Arcane Circle. She was sitting rigidly, looking vigilant, but inside she only felt a mixture of boredom and restlessness.

A day and a half after leaving the capital, they reached the border of the Red Forest and were about to stop for the night. The madam was almost asleep already because of the monotony of the trip.

Then she felt it.

Her drowsiness disappeared instantly, and she leaped out of the palanquin like a tiger pouncing at prey, her old age and physical weakness completely forgotten. Arcane Energy aided the jump of half a hundred feet that placed her ahead of the group's vanguard.

"Hold!" she ordered.

She imbued her voice with Arcane Energy for it to reach everyone. They obeyed at once. The combatants looked at each other with worry, but the madam turned back, providing them with no explanation, and left the road. She went to a nearby place.

The energy there was...

Madam Selna took a deep breath, searching for the right word.

Transcendental.

Though she wasn't an Elementalist and had brought no measuring instrument with her, she could feel that the elements were aligned in perfect harmony in there. The energies were more abundant too. Even Time Energy, her specialty, was denser there than normal.

The earth had been broken by tremors, some trees had been carbonized by lightning, other trees had had many of their branches swept by strong winds. An extraordinary natural phenomenon had happened there recently, and she would have loved to see it. To her dismay, however, her Temporal Reversal skill was still on cooldown.

Coming back after the cooldown period was over wasn't an option either. That would happen only in five and a half days and the skill was of the Sixth Grade, while she was only a Four Star Sorceress. That difference between her actual level and the skill's power not only gave it a higher cooldown, it also limited how far in the past she could see: a single day.

But it wasn't all bad news. Something special was right there, in front of her, in the place that felt like the epicenter of the phenomenon.

A small bud was emerging from a crack in the earth. A sprout half white, half black, as if it contained Yin and Yang within it. Even though Madam Selna was not very sensitive, she could tell the amount of energy in the bud was absurdly exceptional.

She had never felt so much energy in one plant. In formations yes, in pills created by famous alchemists too. But pure energy, like that, in a mere bud in nature?! What levels would the energy within that plant reach after it grew?

This was an absolute treasure that she needed to acquire at all costs!

"Half of you will protect this area," she ordered without looking back, still using her magically enhanced voice to speak to everyone. At the same time, she used Arcane Energy to draw a circle on the ground, dozens of feet around the special area, demarcating the area to be protected. "Send the fastest among you to call for a battalion to protect it. Urgent mobilization!"

The soldiers could hardly believe what they were hearing. A battalion and urgent mobilization?!

A battalion had a thousand combatants, plus the support squads needed to prepare food, provide maintenance, and transport goods. The Arcane Circle branch in Illyria only had three battalions, but each one of them was strong enough to intimidate powerful clans and even the crown!

It was public knowledge that there were five people in Illyria at the Four Star level, around twenty people at the Three Star level, and only around ten thousand at the Two Star level.

Every Soldier in the battalions of the Arcane Circle was at the Two Star level, and every commander and subcommander in each battalion was at the Three Star level! Even disregarding the Sorcerers of the Arcane Circle, the combined military might of the three battalions was almost thirty percent of the combined military power of all other forces in the kingdom! Even the royal family only commanded less than half that, and that disparity in power caused a lot of tension and political issues.

Because of said tension, the Circle always kept one battalion, called defense battalion, in the Arcane Tower, the branch headquarters of the Arcane Circle in the capital. Another battalion, the support battalion, kept to the outskirts of the capital. The third battalion, the mobile battalion, was always training or carrying out missions somewhere in the kingdom.

It wouldn't be surprising if Madam Selna had ordered the mobile battalion to come. But she had ordered urgent mobilization! This meant that it would be the nearest battalion, the support one, that would come. That would leave the defense battalion alone to resist any attacks.

Wouldn't the Arcane Tower would become vulnerable then? Madam Selna herself was out of town, and her power as a Four Star Entropomancer was the biggest deterrent against anyone with ill intent towards the Circle.

What could she have discovered in that place to make her give an order like that? What was more important than the safety of the Arcane Tower?

Naturally, Madam Selna knew the consequences of her orders, but the Arcane Tower had some secrets that could guarantee the safety of those inside it long enough for her to return, should anything happen. So, there was no reason to worry so much about the Sorcerers within it. A high-quality herb, however, could buy her the favor of an influential alchemist and guarantee her a comfortable retirement at the very least.

She also knew that her order would attract curiosity. Luckily, she was strong enough to not need to bring any other powerful Sorcerers with her for protection, and none of the Soldiers or Squires in the retinue was energetically sensitive enough to feel the energy level of the place or recognize what that sprout meant.

Her only regret was not having brought her secretary, who stayed behind to cancel appointments and be her link to the Arcane Circle. It would've been nice to keep someone she trusted — to some extent — stationed there to take care of the bud.

Only a few scouts saw the plant before madam used an Arcane spell to erect a silver dome around it.

"What are you waiting for?!" she shouted. "I said urgent mobilization!" At that, the fastest messengers hurried back to the city, doing giant leaps aided by Arcane Energy. They couldn't fly, but those leaps made them fast enough.

She had sent messengers mainly so they could guide the battalion to that location, but she also took her Arcane Emblem and used it to contact the general in charge of the support battalion, ordering him to come immediately. As long as there were no unexpected circumstances, battalion and messengers would meet halfway, and soon the former would be here to protect her newfound treasure.

"When the battalion arrives, those who stayed here to protect the area are to move to rejoin the main force," she ordered and returned to the palanquin.

After looking at the bud one last time, she told them to move on for a few more hours before they stopped for the night.

She had considered protecting the plant personally, but as powerful as it would be after it grew up, the potential earnings from capturing Aaron Ironblood and getting his secrets were even greater. And if she offered both the man and the plant to the Arcane Circle, it might even be enough to get her the resources she needed to advance to the Five Star level.

That meant twenty extra years of lifespan!

Someone like her, with less than ten years left, understood the terror of impending death very well. She'd spare no effort to get a little more time for herself.

The only thing that could force her retreat would be for the king to attack the Arcane Tower. Times of war had different rules. In such a case, no reward would be enough to make up for the crime of not doing her best to protect the branch of the Circle under her supervision.

Fortunately, nothing in her intelligence reports showed that the king would do anything so stupid.

Madam Selna could already feel victory within her reach.

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In the chilly dawn, Illyria's king stood in front of a window at the top of a tower of the royal palace, in a small study room with a table covered with documents. He was watching the support battalion of the Arcane Circle disappear in the distance.

His men had woken him up to warn him about the movement of those troops, and he had immediately put his army on high alert. However, less than an hour later, his spies reported that the battalion was not preparing to attack but to go to the Red Forest instead.

The king's eyebrows were furrowed. Had the Madam Selna discovered his plans?

He had been careful and laid plans within plans. On the surface, the commission to retrieve the Sky Splitter Sword was nothing more than that, but if someone looked a little deeper, they would find that it was a trap laid for imperial mercenaries.

This was an offense large enough against the Thenor Empire to satisfy most investigators, but the king's plans went even deeper.

If that old woman had found out about it, his plans would be...

He shook his head. On second thought, it was clear that she had discovered nothing. If she really had done so, she wouldn't have removed her troops from the outskirts of the capital. Rather, she would have ordered the mobile battalion to come at the highest speed, or even attacked the royal palace immediately with just two battalions!

But if she knew nothing, why was that battalion being deployed so close to his trap?

A spy had said something about a strange plant outside the Red Forest, but it was obvious that this was just an excuse to move the battalion. Selna herself had moved onwards, and a greedy witch like her wouldn't leave something truly valuable behind. She was always like that, doing innocent things to hide her real, nefarious motives, creating distractions for him not to notice the blade in the dark.

How he hated that old hag!