“An idea to deal with the blizzard?” Macron raised his brow, clearly intrigued by the absurd premise. Changing the weather was something that only Spirit Saints could assuredly accomplish. Shin was just a Rank 50 Spirit Lord, and though there were hundreds of stories about his accomplishments, he was still far off from the Spirit Saint realm.

“That’s right,” Shin nodded, unfazed by the scepticism in the Sentinel’s voice. “However, I’ll probably only be able to hold it for a day, maybe even half that. During that time, you would have to send all of your resources to scour the lands.” The young Prince was now giving out orders as if it were second nature to him.

However, no one called him out on that. The Sentinel wanted to ask a few more questions, but instead simply nodded in agreement. “Understood...”

“Am I right to believe that this diamond would be our base as we raid the Black Masks?” Shin tilted his head and asked Macron.

“Yes, it would be,” Macron confirmed. “If we travel too close, we’ll be vulnerable to an attack by the Black Masks. Furthermore, since there’s no army for us to move, we can just fly straight to the Illusory Canyon in less than half a day.” Looking around, the Sentinel saw cultivators that were either in the Spirit Emperor or Venerate realm. Even the youngest and weakest among them all, the twins, had their Spectre Souls condensed. “Of course, if you think there’s a need to, we could move the base a little closer...”

“No, there shouldn’t be necessary...” Shin shook his head. They weren’t on a military expedition that required weeks of meticulous planning. All they needed to do was search and destroy… But first things first…

“Let us take a full day’s rest for now,” Shin looked around at his crew. They were the cream of the crop, the top monsters that the Lantis Republic had. However, they had been travelling for over a week now. Particularly the Azure Dragons, that had been flying non-stop regardless of the weather. Even the toughest Spirit Saints would be forced to rest after prolonged periods of activity, let alone those Tier 8 Spirit Beasts. Furthermore, when facing Junius for the final time, Shin wanted his group to be in the best condition possible.

“Of course!” Macron clapped his hands as his fake smile returned to his face. As if on cue, a few maidservants sauntered in with plates of exotic fruits and deliciously cooked meat. “Take all the time you need, we can discuss the details at a later time.” With that, the Sentinel promptly made his retreat, leaving the group to drop their shoulders as if a heavy load had been lifted off their shoulders.

“Sentinel Macron, a minute of your time?” Shin gestured for Bingbing and Zishen to act as his bodyguards as he walked out of the stone hut with Macron.

“Hmmm?” Ella looked up at the young man, who was only wearing a warm smile. Knowing that this would happen, Lady Seph gently held back the ponytailed woman while shaking her head.

“Don’t worry, Shin has it under control...” The blonde beauty said, her words showed that she had complete faith in Shin’s capabilities. “Let him be...”

“Alright...” Ella turned around, only to see Emma and Kanari with the same warm smiles that Shin had. Evidently, they were all in on the deed. Pouting, Ella kicked back on her chair and enjoyed the light refreshments that the Alliance provided for them.

Meanwhile, Shin had travelled over fifteen metres away from their makeshift new lodgings. He looked around at the stone houses and observed the forces that the Alliance had sent. There was barely anyone below the Spirit Spectre realm. In fact, the majority of troops here were in the Rank 50 Spirit Lord and Rank 60 King realm. It really was a sight to behold…

“So, what do you think?” Macron noticed the young man’s awe and returned it with a beaming smile. “We’ve prepared all of this for the fight against the Blade of Death and the World Serpent, two of the greatest threats within the Black Masks. Is it to your liking?”

“How could I dislike it?” Shin laughed. “The more elites, the merrier. We’re all unified under the Alliance’s banner to defeat the menace of the Allfather and his minions.”

“Hahaha, since Your Grace has said so, would you mind if I introduce you to some of my Dragon Tiger Gate members? I’m certain that they’ll be delighted to finally meet you in the flesh,” Macron brought back his signature fake smile. From the very beginning, he intended to mingle his juniors with the future Prince of the Lantis Republic.

Not many people were aware of the Celestial Dragon’s true nature and its significance to the Lantis Republic, but Macron was among that select few. Once the Black Masks were defeated, the world would once again go through a period of power reshuffling, with Shin and his Celestial Dragon at the very centre of it all. As it stood, only the Himmel Empire and the Lantis Republic had ties to the genius youth, who was slated to inherit the world. If the Kori Federation strays too far behind, it wouldn’t be long before their power would be chipped away by Shin’s explosive growth.

“I would be honoured,” Shin replied with a similar business-like smile he’d learnt from Elrin. “However, before that, I have something that I need to discuss...”

“Please, Your Grace. Your word is my command.”

“Haha, it’s no order...” Shin rolled his eyes at the blatant flattery. “If you’ve volunteered for this mission, I’m sure you’ve read up on my history… Particularly the real reason why I’ve rushed this far west...”

Macron paused for a moment, thinking of whether he should play the fool. However, the early scene where Shin called him out on his bullshit came to mind. “That… Yes, I’m aware...”

“Good, I’ll not beat around the bush...” Shin walked a few metres forward, keeping his hands folded behind his back. His gaze turned westwards as if trying to glare at an enemy that couldn’t be seen. “If you find the Blade of Death before we do… If you find the whereabouts of Junius… Let me and my team deal with him...”

“Why… Of course...” Macron didn’t contest that claim. Everyone present knew the long history between Shin and Junius. From brothers to enemies. From boys that would bathe together to men that showered in the blood of others. It was their destiny to clash one final time, and no one would dare to get it their way. Not the Black Masks or the Alliance. However…

“Your Grace, if I may be so rude… What are your intentions for the World Serpent then?” The Sentinel asked.

“Hmmm?” Shin looked back at the elderly man with a raised brow. “What about it?”

“See… All of those that were sent to assist you are from the Kori Federation and some of them… have an unresolved hatred for the dastardly Spirit Beast. Before they volunteered to come, they had the same request as you. They wanted to have the World Serpent all for themselves. If you wished to kill the World Serpent as well, I’m afraid that there would be a… clash...” Macron explained patiently.

“A vendetta with the World Serpent?”

“That’s right...” Before the Sentinel could elaborate, something caught his eye. Waving his hands, Macron yelled: “Ah, speak of the devil! Dalgeom Sect members, come here for a moment, would you?”

‘The Dalgeom Sect?’ Shin’s facial features rose at the familiar term. Memories of the Land of Dreams came flooding into the Prince’s mind. When Shin was still a mere teenager, he came to the region, hoping to find a clue about Junius. What he got... was an experience that shook the foundations of his soul completely. The apocalypse that the World Serpent created, seeing a dominating Spirit Emperor, Wangu, sacrifice himself for them to escape. Killing Star Face and finally… Witnessing the tragedy that befell on the Land of Dreams… Every single experience he had changed him… And a large part of that story… Was with that sword-crazy sect that flung him into the chaos.

Fifteen well-dressed individuals could be seen walking towards the duo. They all hung impeccable pieces of jade down from their waistbands and swords of all shapes and sizes were kept in their scabbard on the other end. They all looked gentle, but Shin was certain that if need be, they could explode with a force that wouldn’t lose out to any of his subordinates. Especially the two people that led the entire squad.

“Senior Jimga… Senior Yeunghi...” Shin called out the faces of the pair that he was familiar with.

“Shin… No, Your Grace… It’s been a long time...” Jimga was the first to bow down. Yeunghi, the maiden of the Ice Fairy Sword Dance, followed suit soon after. They both knew of Shin before he was the indomitable Prince that brought the Lantis Republic to heel, so they felt a little jittery as they watched the young man casually talking to a Sentinel.

‘That brat has now grown into someone crazy...’ Jimga scoffed inwardly. If he had known about Shin’s potential, he would have treated the young man a little better.

“Oh, you know them?” Macron looked over at Shin, his eyes filled with genuine curiosity.

“Yeah, we fought together once when the Black Masks first attacked the Land of Dreams,” Jimga quickly answered. “You could say that we’re loosely acquainted.”

“Hoho, that simplifies matters then,” the Sentinel laughed. “Your Grace, the ones that wish to take on the World Serpent are these fellas. You should know about how that beast killed off their Senior Brother?”

“Yeah… I was there that day...” Shin grumbled. Not only was he there, to a certain extent, but Wangu’s sacrifice had also saved the youth from certain death. “If it’s the Dalgeom Sect’s that requested it, I’m in no position to contest. However, Junius is strictly off-limits.” In the first place, Shin didn’t really care about the World Serpent. It didn’t matter if he killed it or those from the Dalgeom Sect severed its head. As long as he was the one battling Junius, nothing else mattered.

“That’s great!” Macron clapped his hands. “Your Grace, now that’s settled, would you be free to tour around with me?” The Sentinel couldn’t pass up this chance to curry more favours with the young Prince. He walked over to the young man, ready to tug him by the hand. However, Shin simply shook his head.

“Hmmm, if you would excuse me… I would like to have a word with the members of the Dalgeom Sect,” Shin politely declined the Sentinel’s invitation, turning his body towards the group of swordmasters.

“...” For the first time since Shin first arrived, the Sentinel’s smile evaporated. He had been sucking up to the youth for the longest time, and yet… Shin still brushed him off, for a rival Master Sect, no less! It was understandable that the Sentinel would be pissed.

Shin, on the other hand, wasn’t thinking too much about it. He wanted to talk to the Dalgeom Sect to learn a little more about swordplay and how to deal with Junius’ near-perfect sword dances. Also, he felt a little repulsed with the way that the Dragon Tiger Gate’s Sentinel was blatantly trying to kiss his ass. Thus, he opted to stay with the ones he was more familiar with.

“As you wish, Your Grace...” The Sentinel bowed elegantly, not revealing the shaking pursed lips that he had.

‘Shin Iofiel… What a moron...’ Hiding the wicked thoughts he had to himself, Macron wore back his fake smile and made a silent retreat back into his own abode.