Chapter 736 736. Mission
The slave had spoken using his speed as a parameter, which meant that a group of heroic cultivators would be able to reach the domain of the Duron Bloodline in less than a month.
As for any details about that region, he knew nothing about them.
Traveling in that world was dangerous since magical beasts occupied most of its territories. The slave had barely left his city during his life, and that was his first time wandering so far away from the human domain.
Noah and the others would be in the dark after crossing the areas around the city.
However, that thought didn't scare them.
The truth was that their group was strong, especially when they considered the peculiar situation of the humans of that world.
Noah didn't believe that the natives would attack them without trying to create an alliance first. The terms of that alliance would depend on how desperate their situation was.
Another series of questions followed those that concerned the layout of those Mortal Lands, but the slave's knowledge had reached its limits. That was expected from a rank 2 cultivator. Still, reaching that point meant that the leaders had to decide on his fate.
They would just kill him in a normal situation, but it would be a problem if the rulers of the natives became biased because of that act. Different worlds had different traditions, and every asset would be valued a lot in that one due to the power of the magical beasts.
Also, Noah and the others couldn't hide the fact that they had captured a cultivator. There wasn't a way to justify their knowledge otherwise.
"The chains," Noah spoke when silence spread in that area, "Can you remove them?"
He knew that slaves couldn't escape the chains alive, but Gray Fury seemed to have used a different kind of restraining items. Moreover, he didn't believe that the leader of the Empire's faction would condemn a cultivator without knowing his background.
The slave had turned out to be a no one, but that world was still in a dire state, so it was better to be cautious about their action.
"Yes." Gray Fury answered before questioning him. "Will you carry him along?"
Noah nodded and left the area before he could ask them to leave. The others followed him and regrouped at some distance from the leader of the Empire's faction to discuss some details.
First of all, they had to be sure of their safety.
Noah only had one rank 5 defensive talisman left since his journey inside the separate dimension, and that wasn't enough for such a critical mission. Except for June, the wealth of the cultivators in his group was even worse than his in that aspect.
Of course, she wouldn't say that since the fact that she had retrieved Eccentric Thunder's inheritance was a secret, and obtaining more defensive items from the Royals could only benefit her.
The matter was quickly settled. The leaders had already deployed their cultivators, so protecting them was the least they could do.
The second part of their discussion concerned the type of behavior that they would have upon reaching natives of particular importance. They could secretly communicate in their language, but that didn't cover how they would approach the new force.
Their primary objective was to understand their power so that the rank 6 existences could decide if a peaceful alliance was the best option, or if a war would bring them more benefits.
That topic caused a lot of discussions, but, in the end, the leaders agreed that it was better to be respectful for the time being. They also allowed the envoys to reveal some of their techniques to make a collaboration appealing.
The last issue concerned the roles of each envoy, but that matter was settled quickly.
Noah would be the leader of the mission, while the others would simply help him with their knowledge in their respective fields.
The rank 5 cultivators though added the condition that the eight of them would have to swear an oath before adventuring through the unknown lands.
Noah knew that the Council and the Elbas family were mostly worried about him due to his history. Yet, he immediately accepted that condition since he had no intention to undermine the success of the mission.
It was in his best interest to obtain those techniques, and June would be with him too! There was a high chance that he could seize some private time with her amid their political mission.
After they made their mind on everything, the group waited for Gray Fury to return with the now free slave before flying back to the volcano.
Formations and defenses began to appear on the surface of the underground area as Noah, and the others waited for their mainland to send the resources requested through the fissure.
Gathering the items wasn't a problem, but the mental messages took a while to traverse the void and reach the other Mortal Lands.
Meanwhile, the envoys improved their language and reviewed their strategy, while also completing the preparations that concerned their personal power.
The native was less talkative after he regained his freedom, but he still forced himself to solve any doubt that Noah and the others could have.
Four rank 4 cultivators in the liquid stage crossed the fissure a week after the leaders sent their message. Each faction had sent one of them to carry the defensive items, and the oath requested.
The envoys didn't waste time anymore at that point.
They left the volcano as soon as they swore that they wouldn't betray their Mortal Lands, nor hurt any of their teammates. The native was with them too. One of the cultivators from the Empire carried him so that their flying speed wouldn't be affected.
Noah and the others flew toward the area pointed by the native while avoiding his hometown since they aimed to speak directly with the rulers of the human society.
The first signs of civilization soon appeared below them. Long defensive walls stretched for kilometers and surrounded small towns. They marked a clear division between the two regions.
There didn't seem to be any being in the heroic ranks in those areas, but Noah felt an awful smell surrounding him and trying to affect his mental sphere. That sensation though wasn't shared by his companions who didn't even seem aware of that scent.
'It's something that targets only magical beasts.' Noah quickly concluded in his mind and released part of his mental waves to destroy every trace of that smell from around him.
Those defenses weren't weak, but Noah wasn't only a magical beast. Countering them with the power of his mind was quite easy.
The envoys flew for days, and the towns under them became bigger as they reached for the center of that region.
Yet, Noah signaled to the group to stop when he sensed three rank 4 cultivators flying toward them.
The atmosphere became tense when the three natives stopped right in front of the envoys. However, confusion soon appeared on their expression when they saw the three cultivators kneeling toward them.