Badge in Azure

“Don, you’re not my follower.” Saleen said to Don in a polite, roundabout way. If Don was Saleen’s follower and he needed high level equipment, he was welcomed to ask Saleen, and Saleen would do his best to provide.

However, Don was but Saleen’s retainer or something like that. The reason he addressed Saleen as ‘Your Highness’ was solely because he was unable to harm Saleen, per the contents of the contract.

While followers were required to give away a certain extent of their freedoms, but they had a great deal to get in return as well. Saleen paid close attention to the levels of followers around him, as well as the kind of equipment they required. He would then do his best to provide for them.

His followers also did not need to think about daily expenditures; Saleen had them all covered.

For instance, the amount of magic nuclei Saleen provided mages like Isabella and Daniel was over a dozen times more than what he provided common subordinates. When they were about to advance, he even provided them with magic nuclei and magic towers of high levels.

Followers were allowed to participate in the affairs of Saleen’s kingdom, essentially making them nobles without titles. They enjoyed absolute immunity.

If any of the followers were to perish and leave descendants behind, Saleen would keep providing for them, spending a good amount to nurture them into high level professionals.

Things were different with Don. Saleen could not simply provide Don with extra equipment without concrete reason. The God-hunting Spear was the most Saleen was able to afford him.

A godly item, even when stripped of its attributes, still made a formidable weapon in the hands of a knight.

Remaining the power of rules in the godly item as well as its inherent, exceptional durability, was the highest value of the God-hunting Spear.

“Your Highness, what would you need me to pay for it with?” Don did not find Saleen’s reluctance peculiar. Saleen would have no problem providing him with common equipment without cost.

But arming a hundred demons, requiring them and the equipment they carry to be up to the standard he required, would be costly. It could be too much to ask even for a follower.

“What could you pay me with?” Saleen asked in return. He knew Don had little to give. A person like that was long dead inside, which made them ill-suited to become a follower. Followers were required to have wants and goals, as well as aspiring to grow and advance with him.

Don hesitated. What can I pay him with indeed?

He had nothing. His daughter was not dead when he left the Holy See, and still, the pope could not rest easy with that fact. His weapon was destroyed when he left, which was why he had to get his hands on the God-hunting Spear in the first place.

“I know of one ruins…”

“Don, do you know that if we keep getting into ruins, it would take us years before we finish visiting a good amount of them, even if we don’t run into any trouble?”

Don was rendered speechless, but Saleen was right. Saleen did not lack information like the whereabouts of ruins.

While Saleen never told him where they were going to head next, he was able to tell from how the people around Saleen simply followed him about without asking that Saleen was not looking for one or a few places; he was looking for many of them.

“I… I know of one ruins, a ruins that belonged to the Lord of Glory. I’ve been to the plane before, and only the leaders of the Heaven Knights knew. It was a secret that had been passed down for over ten thousand years. The pope, the oracles, and the tribunal, none of them knew anything about it.”

While Don was still talking about ruins, it was different. There were many ruins on Myers Mainland. So long as one was willing to risk their life, they were free to venture into them. What differed was what they would get out of the ruins.

Saleen’s eyes narrowed as he smiled.

Don’s value lay within his identity as a former leader of the Heaven Knights. One would know a lot of secrets in such a position.

While Nicholas seemed to be the more powerful former Holy See person, and might even grow powerful enough to overwhelm Don with Saleen’s help in the future, he had been ostracized in the Holy See. What he got to know was too little.

Saleen would be able to squeeze whatever Don knew bit by bit.

“We have a deal then. Tell me, what kind of armor do you need from me?”

Don carefully extended his left hand and picked a strip of skin off of his pinky. He then began to strip it down. Saleen watched Don’s finger being stripped down and soon enough, the finger was gone.

A diagram was found on Don’s hand.

“This is the secret of the Heaven Knights. Part of the reason why Theisio kept me alive was to get his hands on these schematics. This thing would be considered precious even to a mage, but I know that this will not be enough to get me your support,” Don elaborated politely.

Saleen knew that Don was only being polite out of habit. That was how Don worked, so much so that it had become instinct.

Saleen took the schematics and laid it out. Holy light shrouded them, preserving the lines and images on it.

Saleen found that even his Elemental Eye had trouble looking through the schematics and learning its secrets right away. Furthermore, it rendered his memory magic null, meaning the schematics was something beyond level nine.

It was drawn by a divine smith. Every complete Heaven Knights corps had their own divine smiths who all knew the secret of the schematics and would never divulge them to anyone, including the pope. However, the item was kept by the leader of the Heaven Knights.

Saleen would be able to craft Heaven Knights armor according to the schematics, as he had the power of faith stored within his Ring of Gifts.

That was where mages proved more capable than divine smiths. A mage was able to manipulate power of faith after reaching a certain level, enabling them to do alchemy. Divine smiths, on the other hand, essentially became cripples when they lost their faith.

Saleen looked at the list of materials at the bottom corner of the schematics. He had most of the materials with him. A few had to be procured from Metatrin City, and Lex would be able to provide some precious materials as well.

None of the materials were hard to find. In fact, they were all very common. Some materials would just take far longer than others to craft. Saleen would be able to read the holy prose and chants, finding energies to substitute the power of faith, if the materials had been readied.

Constellation power was a viable choice, but the powers within the level 19 Star Gathering Needle were simply too powerful. Saleen dared not use them, as he was afraid of triggering the recoil of the plane. On the other hand, the energies within the level 16 could be used.

Gaine had intricate planning. The constellation power that he extracted was coincidentally = one that Saleen was able to use. As Saleen’s level grew, the Star Gathering Needle’s seal would gradually be undone.

However, Saleen used the level 16 needle to mobilize the ancient figures. Saleen would have to rely on the ancient figures in the future. It was ridiculous for him to simply keep going on adventures and rely on his own powers to fight all the time.

He needed the ancient figures to serve as his army to support a great nation. Only then would he be ready to conquer the world.

Nailisi’s double in the purgatory of the fallen would probably be able to help.

Saleen knew deep down that the most troublesome part with crafting Heaven Knight armor was gathering required materials, as well as the time required for crafting them.

“Leave the schematics with me, Don. When do you wish to get the one hundred suits of Heaven Knight armor?” Saleen felt satisfied and asked Don in a pleasant manner. The schematics would serve well to expand his knowledge and thoughts at crafting armor. The Devil Flying Armor could be improved in the future.

“Your Highness, the armors were meant to be worn by demons…”

“I know that. The cost in materials will far exceed that required for humans, but it’s worth it. Your chosen demons will be ones about to become supreme demons. Once a demon advances to supreme demon, they have powers comparable to a human silver grand swordmaster, maybe a tad stronger. The demons will all become elites of the knights corps, so it’s normal that they cost more.”

“Well, in that case, Your Highness, I shall have time in half a year. In the meantime, I’ll train the demons, and they would probably be advancing by the time the armors are ready.”

“That should do it. I will provide you with one hundred sets of Heaven Knight armor. I will embed yours with chlorite, which will enable you to take in divinity and power of faith.”

Don bowed and performed a gesture of respect of the knights.

“Your Highness, that place is somewhere that I’m unable to tell by word of mouth. I would need pen and paper for drawing you schematics. You’re free to look at it when you find the time…”

“I’m not in a hurry, Don. I’ve actually finished working on your armor, but from the looks of things, I need to get you something else. Get on with what you should be doing. I need to study the schematics.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Don retreated from Saleen’s stone house and saw Isabella and Nailisi walking at his direction. He made way for the two of them. Tears began rolling down Isabella’s eyes before she even made it into the house.

“Alright, Isabella, stop crying. It was my fault that I wasn’t able to find you right away. Do you still feel wronged?”

“My liege, I’m simply hoping to heighten my powers as soon as possible.” Isabella bit her lip as she blushed.

Saleen breathed a sigh of relief seeing that Isabella was putting the past behind her. Isabella had not been following him for long, and she spent a long time being in captivity. Saleen feared that the incident would leave a lasting impact on her, twisting her temperament and making it hard for her to advance.

Nailisi’s way of dealing with things were rough and unruly, but beating up Don had a cathartic effect on restoring Isabella’s state of mind. Nailisi was smart and was more sensible than she used to be.

Saleen had been right. Don did not bother hiding he had been slapped by Isabella. Nicholas and the others would probably share the same thoughts. Nailisi had become a centripetal force of the team, and no one knew how sly she actually was.

Nailisi was usually feared, so much so that even Jola was hesitant to cross her, even though she was far prettier than Lex and Sika.

It was a given that Saleen had been the reason such a brutal, cunning, and greedy demon would stand by Isabella.

Nailisi consoled Isabella. Saleen thought of having Eleanor learn lightning skills from him, but Sika barged in.

“Saleen, I need a hand.”

“Need a hand with what?”

“Oh! Excuse us for a bit, you guys.” Sika chased the others out. Eleanor and the others had no choice but to leave. It was only then that Sika took out her triangular hollow bone piece. “I need to borrow your constellation powers to work on this thing.”

“Borrow?”

“Yes. What? You’re not telling me you’re reluctant?”

“Not at all, but did you have to kick all of them out?”

“Saleen, we need to do this together. Our souls will be linked during the crafting process, and who knows if you’ll get horny after you’re done.”

“Well… that umm, Sika, you’re right. It’s been quite a while since the last time I got naughty with you. I’ve been damn busy.” Saleen grinned as he pulled Sika to his side and caressed her face. “How about we get to the crafting part later, eh?”